SLCo Community Mental Health Education and Support Services - RFI

Salt Lake County's Division of Contracts and Procurement has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for Community Mental Health Education and Support Services as a proposed sole source procurement. The county seeks to establish a partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Utah to provide comprehensive mental health education, support services, and advocacy to county residents affected by mental illness. The primary deliverables and services include educational programs designed to challenge stigma, peer support groups, advocacy efforts, peer support specialist assistance, and facilitation of referrals to appropriate mental health treatment resources across both private and government systems. Key objectives center on empowering individuals and families affected by mental health disorders while leveraging NAMI's national prominence and unparalleled reputation in Utah to effectively serve the community. The county justifies the sole source designation by asserting that NAMI possesses distinctive name recognition and capability that no other mental health organization in Utah can match. The comment period for this RFI is open until March 10, 2026, at 1:00 PM Mountain Time, with responses to be submitted directly to the contact person, Bibi Whitehead at bwhitehead@saltlakecounty.gov. Any party objecting to the sole source designation must submit their concern prior to the March 10th deadline.

This procurement is designated as a sole source purchase, which restricts responding organizations to NAMI unless objections to the sole source justification are sustained. The county notes that it currently contracts with USARA for similar substance use disorder advocacy services and that the Utah Department of Health and Human Services maintains two existing contracts with NAMI for related mental health services. The proposed contract term is six years with an estimated annual cost of $100,000, representing a total estimated value of $600,000 over the full contract period. Submitted documents will be classified as protected records under the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) until contract execution or for two years from the RFI issuance date, whichever occurs first. No bidder conferences or site visits have been scheduled for this procurement opportunity.